Li Chang'an knew what they were worried about, and then said, "The land has been cleared, and the grain grown belongs to everyone. Of course, I won't force those who don't want to come."
But those who are willing to come and work according to my instructions.
From now on, not only will they provide meals for three days, but you'll also receive twenty coins each day.
"Whoosh!"
The villagers were all taken aback by the son-in-law's generosity.
Everyone stared at Li Chang'an in disbelief.
Third Sister asked directly, "Young Master, is it really true that we get twenty coins a day, and three meals a day, like before, three meals of dry rice?"
Li Chang'an looked at them and smiled: "Not only do we eat rice every day, but we also get two extra eggs in the morning and sweet soup at noon and in the afternoon. Those who do well even get meat every day."
Sweet soup is made from milk powder, and the villagers have drunk it before.
One sip and it's so sweet, you won't feel tired even after a whole day of work.
The villagers were in an uproar upon hearing this.
The reason why people died during the land reclamation was because they didn't have enough to eat and were always hungry.
If everyone could eat their fill every day, the land of the Ming Dynasty would have been turned into fields long ago.
Needless to say, if people ate their fill of rice, even wheat bran, the fields in the Ming Dynasty could multiply several times over.
Now the son-in-law says that every day there is not only rice to eat, but also eggs, which are very nutritious, as well as sweet soup. Those who are good at cooking even get to eat meat.
And they even get paid!
Good heavens, I'm not going to do this job.
Did someone get their brains caught in a door?
They swarmed forward, crying and shouting that they wanted to work for their son-in-law.
Some villagers, fearing they wouldn't be able to get any, even refused money, saying they just wanted to have food to eat.
Li Chang'an looked at the villagers, who were on the verge of madness, with some surprise.
The price he offered was already the lowest possible offer he could accept.
He also knew about the prices of goods in the world.
A load of firewood costs twenty coins, and a pound of wheat bran costs ten coins.
Normal grain cost thirty coins per pound, while refined grain, such as rice, cost fifty coins per pound. Only landlords could afford this.
A normal worker earns about 500 to 1,000 coins a month.
The price of twenty coins, along with the included meal, was the lowest he could think of.
He was afraid that if the price was lowered further, no one would come to do the work, and the price could be increased gradually later.
In business, there's no reason to offer the highest price right away.
But he never expected that such treatment would make the villagers green with envy, fearing that he would not let them work.
No, doesn't anyone complain about the low wages?
At the end of the day, the wages earned weren't even enough to buy a pound of rice.
Doesn't anyone have any objections?
If modern cattle and horses heard about this kind of salary and benefits...
I eat white rice all day long, plus two eggs, damn it.
My monthly salary can only buy a little over ten kilograms of rice.
I'm afraid that the moment I mention this treatment, I'll be hanging from a streetlight.
"Alright, alright, I want them all." Li Chang'an waved to the excited villagers and said, "You can go back first. If you want to come tomorrow, just come here."
The villagers were relieved after hearing what the son-in-law said.
They turned and left with satisfied smiles, leaving the area spotless as they went.
Several villagers, unable to find any work, simply knelt on the ground and kowtowed several times to Li Chang'an.
"Laifu, tell me, is the treatment I'm giving you very good?" Li Chang'an was a little puzzled as to why the villagers were so crazy.
Lai Fu replied respectfully, "Young Master, it's not just good, it's wonderful."
"How so? How are you usually treated in the Guo family?"
Lai Fu said, "I'm considered to be doing well in the Guo family. I only get ten strings of cash a year, two meals a day, and it's mostly bean rice. I rarely eat white rice, and I only get a little meat during festivals."
And you?
Li Chang'an looked at Laifu in disbelief, somewhat surprised, and then looked at Xiao Qi and Xiao Ba and asked.
Xiao Qi was a little shy, around fourteen or fifteen years old. He scratched the back of his head and said, "I don't get paid. The Guo family bought me for three strings of cash. I only eat leftovers and I'm basically never full."
Occasionally, during holidays, there might be some oil or meat in the leftovers.
However, most of it was eaten by the other servants; Xiao Ba and I only got to drink some broth.
Li Chang'an fell silent.
"How much grain do you have left over after a year of farming?"
Xiao Qi and Xiao Ba didn't dare to say a word; they felt that their young master seemed angry.
Lai Fu respectfully said, "For poor families, even the best-off family can only manage three or four acres of land."
Even at the highest estimate, one mu of land yields about 300 jin of grain, so four mu of land would only yield about 1,200 jin a year.
After deducting all sorts of taxes from the Ming Dynasty, about 40% would be left, which would be about 500 catties.
If we leave enough grain for next year's planting, at most 400 jin, that's a decent amount for our family.
Four hundred catties of grain, enough for a family of five or six, could only barely feed them halfway through the year.
After hearing Lai Fu's words, Li Chang'an stood there stunned, speechless for a long time.
A family of five or six, with a yearly grain supply of 400 jin (200 kg).
This is still a well-off farming household.
The Ming Dynasty levied a tax of 60% of the total tax revenue, and there was also the plight of Su Xiao and You Chu's family.
It made him suddenly feel a little uncomfortable.
No wonder Youchu is like a hamster, unwilling to lose anything.
Even when she sees herself feeding the chickens with white rice, a hint of resentment appears on her gentle face.
No wonder Su Xiao always secretly hid some food away, reluctant to eat it, and always secretly hid it in his pocket.
Even when it went bad, they couldn't bear to throw it away, so they swallowed it with plain water.
No wonder these villagers abandoned their fields and fled to the mountains to become refugees.
With this tax revenue, whenever there are natural disasters or man-made calamities, the harvest in the fields is reduced by several percent.
I'm afraid all the grain grown in the fields won't be enough to pay the taxes.
If this tax were applied to modern times, let alone six out of ten, even five out of ten would probably cause a rebellion.
And let the people here know how they will be treated in the future, even the treatment of the five-guarantee households.
They'll all go crazy.
I'm tired of eating white rice every day, and I don't want to eat it if there are no side dishes to go with it.
We waste more food every day than we eat.
Moreover, people get tired of eating so much meat and fish that no one eats the fatty parts anymore; they basically just spit them out.
If you told the villagers about this kind of life, I doubt anyone would believe you.
"Go down, don't let anyone disturb me, let me sit alone for a while."
Li Chang'an waved his hand, signaling Lai Fu to step down.
Laifu stepped aside and looked at the young master sitting in the sunset, wondering why the all-powerful man had suddenly become depressed.
Even great people have their own troubles!
However, since the young master was in a bad mood, he wouldn't go up and ask.
He has no say in the affairs of important people.
He could only help keep an eye on things to prevent anyone from disturbing the young master.
Li Chang'an looked up at the sky, squinted, and muttered to himself.
"Did you bring me into this world hoping I would save them?"
He watched the sun slowly set and asked a question to the heavens.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
